Turning Back the Pages - November 6, 2025

125 years ago — November 1900

The wooden bridge which spans the Farmington river at Robertsville collapsed Tuesday. Clarence Deming with two horses, wagon and a load of lumber, was precipitated into the river but not badly hurt.

The Cutlery Handle Co. has been compelled to install a steam engine in their factory, the water being too low to operate the plant.

Richard Paddock and wife of Cohoes, N.Y. spent Sunday with their son Walter N. in this village.

100 years ago — November 1925

Carl Stoeckel, one of Connecticut’s leading citizens and the patron of the far-famed Norfolk music festivals, which brought the world’s greatest conductors, composers and musicians to Norfolk, died at his home at Norfolk Sunday morning, following an illness of several months.

LIME ROCK — On Saturday night the Hallowe’en jokers left a robe on Mr. Hunter’s piazza. The owner can secure same by calling for it.

Because of numerous statements to the contrary the present owners of the Holley Block wish to state for the sake of accuracy that the removal of the post office from its present quarters was not due primarily to an increase in rent as stated in last week’s Journal. The government paid the former owners of the Holley Block $35 per month including heat and light for the present quarters. The new owners asked the government for $50 per month including heat, light and much needed sanitary arrangements.

50 years ago — November 1975

The just-released draft of Connecticut’s “Phase II” Rail Plan has set a $783,000 price tag on purchase of the 35-mile Berkshire rail line from New Milford to Canaan. The state plan recommends that the trackage between New Milford and Canaan, set for abandonment by Penn Central, be purchased by the state.

In response to numerous requests, The Lakeville Journal will advance its publication schedule beginning next week so as to be available to many readers Wednesday afternoon with fresh news and advertising. The objective will be to reach post office boxholders and newsstand purchasers in Lakeville- Salisbury, Sharon and Canaan and newsstand customers in Millerton, N.Y., on Wednesday.

The Brothers Restaurant in Lakeville was sold this week to Chris Andronis of Hartford. Mr. Andronis and his son, George, will be running the restaurant. Mr. Andronis said the menu will remain the same for a while with future plans to enlarge the menu with more offerings of Greek style food.

25 years ago — November 2000

KENT — Voters turned out at the polls Wednesday to overwhelmingly support spending $200,000 to defend the town’s interests against the Schaghticoke tribe’s quest for federal recognition and narrowly approved a $7.65 million school project. In a vote of 489 to 127, residents voted to support the Board of Selectmen’s request to spend up to $200,000 to investigate the Schaghticoke tribe’s bid for federal recognition and land claims.

U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor approved the 400-page consent decree last week, paving the way for the multi-million-dollar cleanup of polychlorinated biphenyls left in the Housatonic River by the operations of the General Electric Co. plant in Pittsfield.

FALLS VILLAGE — The future of the fomer National Iron Bank on Main Street was decided in a referendum Oct. 17, when it was agreed that it will be used for Town Hall offices. But much of the building’s past remains a mystery. Original blueprints and papers no longer exist, no one seems to know the name of the architect or any of the workmen and there is some dispute about the year the structure was built.

Students from Housatonic Valley Regional High School learned to brake, skid and corner safely at a driver training session offered through the Skip Barber Racing School at Lime Rock Park. The program, sponsored by the Housatonic Youth Service Bureau and developed by instructor Bob Green, was attended by 42 students.

The Mountainside Cafe has opened and his serving coffee and espresso-based drinks from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, at the former Fast Tracks on Route 7 in Falls Village.

These items were taken from The Lakeville Journal archives at Salisbury’s Scoville Memorial Library, keeping the original wording intact as possible.